The Whips and the Whipping System

Whips have an important role in party
business within Parliament, particularly when the voting strengths of the main
parties are close, as in the 1992-1997 parliament. For major votes it is
imperative for government and opposition to maximise the turnout, and the Whips
try to ensure that every member from their party turns out to vote.

The duties of Whips include:

Keeping MPs and peers informed of forthcoming
parliamentary business
Maintaining the party's voting strength by
ensuring members attend important debates and support their party in
parliamentary divisions
Passing on to the party leadership the opinions
of backbench members.

The term 'whip' also applies to the weekly
circular sent out by each Chief Whip to all their MPs or peers notifying them of
parliamentary business. The degree of importance is indicated by the number of
times that the debate or division is underlined:

Items underlined once are considered routine and
attendance is optional
Those underlined twice are more important and
attendance is required unless - in the Commons - a 'pair' (a member of the
Opposition who also intends to be absent from the division) has been
arranged
Items underlined three times are highly important
and pairing is not normally allowed.

'Three-line whips' are imposed on important
occasions, such as second readings of significant Bills and motions of no
confidence. Failure by MPs to attend a vote with a three-line whip is usually
seen as a rebellion against the party and may eventually result in disciplinary
action, such as suspension from the parliamentary party.

In the Commons the party Whips consist of the
Chief Whip and, in the three main parties, the Deputy Chief Whip and a varying
number of junior Whips. Each of the smaller opposition parties also normally has
a Whip.

The Government Chief Whip has the formal
title of Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury. The Chief Whip appointed in
2001, Hilary Armstrong MP, is assisted by 15 other members who serve as Whips.
Government Whips and some Opposition Whips receive a salary in addition to their
parliamentary salary. The Government Chief Whip is directly answerable to the
Prime Minister. She attends the Cabinet and makes the day-to-day arrangements
for the Government's business programme.

The Opposition Chief Whip receives advance
notice of the Government's business programme each week, and no final decision
is taken by the Government until after consultation with him or her. The Chief
Whips together constitute the 'usual channels', often referred to when the
question of finding time for debating a particular issue is discussed.

Party discipline tends to be less strong in
the House of Lords, and the Whips are less exclusively concerned with party
matters. Defeat for the Government is normally less serious. Nevertheless, for
major issues the Whips still strive to ensure a good attendance. There is no
pairing system in the Lords.

Government
Whips in the House of Lords hold offices in the Royal Household. They also
regularly act as government spokesmen, which happens only rarely in the House of
Commons.

MLA Citation/Reference

"The Whips and the Whipping System". HistoryLearningSite.co.uk. 2014. Web.